Starter gearing



Dec. 27, 1932. L H, HQUGEN 1,892,103

STARTER GEARING gdk-m- @Mov/m 'x40 first above mentioned.

Patented Dec. 27, 1932 PATENT oFFlcE LESLIE H, HOUGEN, or MIAMI, FLORIDA STARTER GEARIN Gr Y Application mea February a4, 1932. serial No. 594,933.

My present invention relates generally to starter gearing for internal combustion engines as commonly used in automobiles, and more particularly to that type of gearing which is removably mounted on a shafteX- tendingfrom the .starting motor.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of a mechanism which will be hositively and unfailingly operative, as well as one in which the starter gear will be shifted firmly Vand efciently into mesh with the .flywheel gear at every operation of the starter gearing. 4

A. still further object is the provision of a mechanism including shock y dampening spring members so arranged that the mecha'- nism will bey positively effective `should such spring members become broken or ineifective, and a further object is the provision of a gearing which may be readily substituted for a commonly used gearing of thejabove type whichbecomesineifective when the'shock dampening spring thereof is broken. Y Y

` With the above and certain other lobjects in mind', my invention resides in the gearing to be now described with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein Figurel' is a side view, partly broken away and in section, of'my improved' gearing.

Figure 2 is an end view.y thereof. V

Figure 3'is a vertical section taken on line 3 3- of Figure l.

Figures 4 and`5 are respectively a perspective view and an end view of a modified form of drive connection and shoclr dampener.

Referring particularly to Figure 1 I have shown in part at 10, the usual starting motor lfrom which the shaftll extends as in several commonly used. starter ge'arings of the type These parts are arranged adjacent to the toot-hedv fly-wheel of the motor forwhich the starter gearing is supplied, the' iiy-wheel@ being indicated by dotted lines at 12. y

In accordancewith my invention, a sleeve 13 is mounted ony the-shafttll to occupy the major portion of its length, leaving the outer Vfree end of the sha-ft projecting beyond the adjacent. yor outer end yofthe'sleeve 13. The inner end of the sleeve'13v has a threaded collar 14 securely disposed thereon and opposing in spaced relation an intermediate annular shoulder 15. The-space 'between the collar 14 and shoulder 15 forms a guideway for the .starter gear 16 slidable and rotatable 55 on the sleeve 13 and which is thrown into engagement with a spring abutment in the form of a corrugated spring washer 17 against the collar 14 when the gear slides inV one direction into mesh with the teeth of the fly-wheel 12.

The starter gear 16 also has an outwardly projecting cylindrical extension 18 f on the larger outer portion of the sleeve 13 and an intern-al shoulder 19 which engages the 6 sleeve shoulder 15 in the retracted position of the gear to which. it is thrown when the motor starts.v p

The gear extension 18 has a helical slot 2O into which a pin 251 of the sleeve 131 extends, and the slot is preferably bridged at spaced peints by webs 22:' beneath whichl the'sleeve pin isv movable. As further shown in Figure 1, the outer free-end of the sleeve 13 has diametrically opposed extensions 23 terminating in angular arms 24 which parallel the axis of the sleeve and serve asanc-hors for the outer curved engagingV ends of the dampening springs 25. The inner ends ofy these springs are secured by cap screws 26 to the oppositey sides of the driving head 27 ywhich is keyed to the proj ecting outer end of the shaft 11 between the arms 24'. 85

One of the cap screws 26, as shown in F igure 2, is extended through the driving head 27 and has a reduced extremity 28 projecting into a notch in the shaft 11 so' as to avoid end play. The driving head 27 further has 90 diametrically opposed driving extensions 29 which Vare normally spaced from the arms 24 of the sleeve and which, when there is sufficient resistance to rotation of the sleeve 13 toflex the stiff dampening. springs 25, ens 95 gage the arms 24 so that a positive driving connectionis completed from the shaft 11 to the sleeve 13. c

Thus when the starting motor is actuated and the shaft 11 entirely rotated, the springs 100 25 cause rotation of thethen freely rotatable sleeve 13. This rotation of the sleeve, through the pin and slot connection, causes sliding movement of the gear 16 into mesh with the fly-wheel, Which movement is arrested against the spring abutment 17. With Yso the gear 16 in mesh with the fly-wheel, the extensions 29 of the driving head move into driving engagement with the sleeve arms 24. In this way the shock at the start of operations is absorbed by the dampening springs, but it is obvious that the starting operation will be effective even should one or both of the springs become broken.

In Figures 4 and 5 a modified driving arrangement is shown wherein a cylindrical member 30 has a toothed axially clutching engagement with'the similarly toothed outer or free end of the sleeve 13a. This cylindrical member 30 has offset angular armsv 31 which project axially beyond the free end of the sleeve to form a space for a driving head 32 which may be keyed and secured to the end of the starter shaft similarly to the driv` ing head 27.

The driving head 32 has offset outstanding wings 33 opposing the arms 31, and these wings and arms 33 and 31 having facing bosses 34 forming seats therearound for the ends of coil springs 35 which in this form of the invention, take the place of the leaf springs 25. Obviously, this modified form is effective in the same manner as the first form and will act to bring about the desired starting operation even in the event` the springs 35 become broken.

I claim:

1. A starter gearing including a sleeve adapted to be mounted on a starter shaft so that the free end of the shaft projects therebeyond, said sleeve having an intermediate shoulder and a collar at one end thereof opposingsaid shoulder, a gear slidable and r0- tatable on said sleeve betweenV the collar and shoulder, a corrugated washer against the collar forming a spring abutment-member for the gear in its operative position, said gear having cylindrical extension around the other end portion of the sleeve, provided with a helical slot, a. pin carried by thesleeve and projecting into said slot, one end of the sleeve having angular diametrically opposed extensions forming arms paralleling the axis of the sleeve, a driving head secured to the projecting end of thestarter shaft between said arms, having driving extensions opposing the arms, and springs in connection with the driving head and With said arms normally holding the said driving extensions spaced from the arms and adapted to dampen the initial driving shock.

2. A starter gearing including a sleeve adapted to be mounted on a starter shaft so hat the free end of the shaft projects therebeyond, a gear rotatable on said sleeve and having limited sliding movement thereon,

said gear having a cylindrical extension around the other end portion of the sleeve, a pin and slot connection between the sleeve and said extension, one end of the sleeve having angular diametrically opposed extensions forming arms paralleling the axis of the sleeve, a driving head secured to the projecting end of the starter shaft between said arms, having driving extensions opposing the arms, and springs in connection with the driving head and with said arms normally holding the said driving extensions spaced from the arms and adapted to dampen the initial driving shock.

3. A starter gearing including a sleeve adapted to be mounted on a starter shaft so that the free end of the Ashaft projects therebeyond, said sleeve having an intermediate shoulder and a collar at one end thereof opposing said shoulder, a gear slidable and rotatable on said sleeve between the collar and shoulder, a corrugated washer against the collar forming a spring abutment member for the gear its operative position, said gear having a cylindrical extension around the other end portion of the sleeve, provided with a helical slot, a pin carried by the sleeve and projecting into said slot, and a driving connection between the free end of the sleeve and the freeV end ofy the shaft including springs normally holding the Vcontacting portions thereof in spaced relation.

4. A starter gearing including a sleeve adapted to be mounted on a starter shaft so that the free end of the shaft projects therebeyond, a gear rotatable on said sleeve and having limited sliding movement thereon, said gear having a cylindrical extension around the other end portion of the sleeve, a

pin and slot connection between the sleeve and L said extension, said sleeve having at its free end diametrically outstanding extensions terminating in driving arms paralleling the axis of the sleeve, a driving head secured on the projecting end of the shaft between said arms having diametrically outstanding extensions opposing said arms, and leaf springs secured to and outstanding from said driving head and having curved outer ends engaging the said driving arms and serving to normally hold the said extensions spaced from the driving arms.

5. A starter gearing including a sleeve adapted to be mounted on a starter shaft so that the free end of the shaft projects therebeyond, a gear rotatable on said sleeve and having rlimited sliding movement thereon, said gear having a cylindrical extension around the other end portion of the sleeve, a

pin and slot connection between the sleeve l and said extension, a cylindrical member at the free end of the sleeve having axial clutched engagement therewith and having out-standing offset angular arms projecting axially of the shaft, a driving head secured f on the projecting shaft end between said arms and having outstanding wings opposing the arms, said arms and wings having facing bosses forming spring seats therearound, and coil springs between the wings and arms serving to normally hold the same apart and dampen the initial driving shock.

In testimony whereof I hereby aiX my signature.

LESLIE H. HOUGEN. 

